


Daring

by asraidevin



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cutness, F/M, Fluff, Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 16:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3735727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asraidevin/pseuds/asraidevin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just some fluff with Cullen and my Female Trevelyan, Dani or Danielle, playing chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daring

Cullen didn’t know how he found himself playing chess with Dorian. He wasn’t sure he trusted the mage, but he couldn’t help but like the other man. He was cocky and charming. And he was easy to talk to.

Suddenly, Danielle, Dani, the Inquisitor wandered over. Shit. Would she criticize him for taking time off? Should he stand to greet her?

He half jumped to his feet. Dorian looked from the Inquisitor’s smiling face to Cullen’s pink one. “Leaving already? Does that mean I’ve won?” he drawled.

Cullen sat down, his eyes narrowing. Over his dead body would he let someone else win.

Dani crossed her arms. “Are you playing nice?”

“Our Commander is just coming to terms to my inevitable victory,” Dorian added.

Cullen glanced at the board. He moved his piece. “Funny because I just won.”

Dorian sighed. “Don’t get smug. Maybe you can put him in his place my dear.” Dorian offered his chair.

Dani slipped into it. She grabbed the pieces and started setting up the board.

“I should get back to work,” Cullen said.

“Cullen, take a break,” she said.

“Is that a command?”

She threw a piece at him. “Yes.”

He caught it and set it on the board. “You know I used to play with my sister.” He spoke to distract himself from staring at her. He could spend an entire day just looking at Dani Trevelyan.

Her straight forward manner made him miss Hawke. A little. Dani showed ten times more tact. And she was much prettier than Hawke. Even if they both favored little daggers to poke at their enemies.

“Were you as serious as a child as you are now?” she asked.

She was sarcastic and sassy like Hawke as well.

“Haha, probably. My sister always won. And then she’d get a stuck up grin on her face. I practiced with my brother for weeks so one of us could beat her. The look on her face when I won.”

“You probably smiled at her with a self-satisfied smirk.”

“Probably. Right before I jumped around cheering. I haven’t seen a board in years. Dorian brought this one out and demanded a game when I said I recognized it.”

“How very kind of you to oblige,” Dani said, tipping her head. Her white hair glinted in the sunlight.

“He’s hard not to like.” He leaned back in his chair to watch her move.

“What about your siblings?”

“I haven’t seen them for years either.”

“Where are they?”

“South Reach. They moved there after the Blight. I- I don’t write as often as I should,” he confessed.

“You shouldn’t worry them. Drop them a line, let them know you’re doing well.”

“I know. I just get busy. And I never know what to say. ‘Hi, it’s me. I’m still alive. Still fighting demons. Your distant if doting brother, Cullen.’”

She narrowed her eyes a little. “I want to know you’re writing them regularly, or I’ll write them myself on your behalf.”

He gasped. “Dani- Inquis- you wouldn’t dare.”

“I would. I can imagine your sister’s worry at lack of contact. Promise me you’ll write her.” She grabbed his sleeve as he reached for the board.

He didn’t know if she was the sweetest person in the world or the biggest pain in the ass. However, all she had to was flutter her eyes at him and he couldn’t deny her anything. He was a pathetic mess when it came to Dani Trevelyan.

“And if you don’t start calling me Dani, I’ll start calling you Ser Rutherford.”

His awareness snapped to her. She met his gaze levelly. She was serious. Her eyes dared him to disagree, to argue.

“All right, I promise. On both accounts.”

“This is the longest we’ve gone without discussing something Inquisition related.”

“And now you’ve broken the silence. Perhaps I should have you punished.” She leaned forward over the board. He mirrored her movements. So he could get a better view of things, they were evenly matched through the game.

She was flirting with him. Did he dare? He glanced at her, her attention was on the board.

“What would you do to me?”

“Make you take more breaks.” She smiled.

“Ah of course. I am glad for the distraction. There hasn’t been much bright light since- a long time since things went well for me.”

“We should do this more often,” she half-whispered. “Spend more time together.”

There was little he’d like more. She was gone so often and he was so busy, it made getting to know each other difficult. This wasn’t the first time she’d expressed her interest. But he always thought while she was away, she’d get close to Bull or Dorian or someone else and forget him. He was usually the forgotten one.

“I’d like that,” he replied, softly.

“Me too.”

He nearly laughed with relief. She was affected in similar ways by his presence. It was a heady feeling. She was a hero to so many, and she could be with anyone she wanted, nearly. But she seemed to be choosing him.

“You said that.”

Her cheeks tinged pink as she ducked her head.

He inclined his head to the board. He didn't know what to say next to her. How to court her, while they were far from civilization, in this insular environment. If he so much as smiled at her for three seconds too long, they would be camp gossip.

He wasn't neither a prude nor indiscriminate. He was simply deliberate in his choices. After a couple of poor choices, he refined his technique. Now days, it was for the physical pleasure. He had no interest in getting to know someone’s emotional side. Until Dani showed up.

“We should finish our game. I think it was my turn?”

“It is. Did you find a place to set up your headquarters?” she asked.

“Yes.” He pointed to the north tower. “Up there. My quarters are just above it.“ That was forward. He shouldn't tell her where he was sleeping. What would she think? Too much, too fast.

"So you can work almost all the time. I think I may have to assign Leliana to watching you so you don’t work too hard, Commander.”

“There’s a lot that has to be done. We must be ready.”

“I’m teasing Cullen. You’re frowning. I like when you smile.”

His lips tipped upward. “I’m not very good with…” he waved his hands between them.

“The game?”

He nearly growled at her purposeful misunderstanding.

“With relationships. Small talk. Flirting.” He leaned back, hardly believing he’d just said any of those things to the Inquisitor.

“The key is not to think too hard about it. And I am teasing you. I should stop.”

She grinned as she moved her last piece. “I believe I won.”

“Seems luck was on your side.”

“Seems so. We’ll make this a regular distraction. Chat and chess.” She leaned back in her chair and stared at the sky. “Whenever I’m not out poking people with knives and gathering materials.”

“We’ll play whenever you come back to me. Us.”

“To you, I like the sounds of that.” She leaned over and squeezed his hand. “I suppose the time for playing is over.”

He smiled. “I suppose you are right. I’ll practice while you are gone, I won’t be as easily beaten next time.”

She stood. “Thank you for the game, Cullen.” She kissed his cheek and he watched her walk away, his heart going with her.

He put the pieces away, shaking his head. It was fun, but she was the Inquisitor. He couldn't, shouldn't distract her from her duty.


End file.
